Get to know Yanta District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Xi’an
- Chinese name
- 雁塔区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 152.00 km²
- Population · 2020
- 1,202,038
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The district sits in the heart of the Wei River (渭河) alluvial plain in Guanzhong (关中). The ground is higher in the east, on a loess terrace, and falls away to the plain in the west. Its main surface waters are the Zao River (皂河) and Taiping River (太平河), tributaries of the Wei, and the Fenghui Canal (沣惠渠), all in the west and south-west.
History
The district office for local records traces the area to the ancient state of Du (杜伯国). In 687 BC the state of Qin set up Du County (杜县) here, which the office calls one of the earliest counties in Chinese history. From 583 the area was split along Zhuque Avenue (朱雀大街) between two counties, a division that lasted until 1913. The district took the name Yanta in September 1954, was merged into a suburban district in October 1965 and was restored in April 1980.
What to see
Three sites are national protected sites. The Qinglong Temple (青龙寺) site, founded in 582 and given its present name in 711, was an important centre of Esoteric Buddhism while Huiguo (惠果) led it in 766-779; the Japanese monk Kukai (空海) studied there under him, and a Kukai memorial was built on the site in 1981 with Japanese donations. The Mingde Gate (明德门) site is the main southern gate of the Tang outer city, with five gate passages. The Yuhuazhai site (鱼化寨遗址) is a Yangshao-culture settlement where people lived more than 6,000 years ago.
Daxingshan Temple (大兴善寺), first built under the Jin dynasty and a royal temple under the Sui, was one of the three great sutra-translation centres of Chang'an and is a provincial protected site. The Shaanxi History Museum opened on 20 June 1991; its permanent exhibition traces Shaanxi from prehistory to 1840 in seven parts.
Highlights
- Qinglong Temple Site 青龙寺遗址: Tang centre of Esoteric Buddhism where Kukai studied; national protected site since 1996.
- Daxingshan Temple 大兴善寺: Temple first built under the Jin; one of Chang'an's three great sutra-translation centres.
- Shaanxi History Museum 陕西历史博物馆: Opened in 1991 north-west of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.
- Mingde Gate Site 明德门遗址: Main southern gate of the Tang outer city, excavated in 1972-1973.
- Yuhuazhai Site 鱼化寨遗址: Yangshao-culture settlement listed nationally in 2013.
Sources for this guide
雁塔概况-西安市雁塔区人民政府 · Yanta District People's Government, Xi'an
自然地理-西安市雁塔区人民政府 · Yanta District People's Government, Xi'an
历史沿革-西安市雁塔区人民政府 · Yanta District Local Chronicles Office
人文历史-西安市雁塔区人民政府 · Yanta District Bureau of Culture, Tourism and Sports
陕西历史博物馆-西安市雁塔区人民政府 · Yanta District Bureau of Culture, Tourism and Sports
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Yanta District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda 大雁塔
Shaanxi History Museum 陕西历史博物馆
Tang Everbright City 大唐不夜城
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda North Square 大雁塔北广场
Tang Paradise 大唐芙蓉园
Qinglong Temple 青龙寺
Qujiang Pool Heritage Park 曲江池遗址公园
Daxingshan Temple 大兴善寺
Xi’an Botanical Garden 西安植物园新园
Shaanxi Natural History Museum 陕西自然博物馆
Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Da Ci'en Temple 大雁塔与大慈恩寺
Places to explore around Yanta District
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda · 大雁塔Giant Wild Goose Pagoda大雁塔
The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda stands inside Great Ci’en Temple, closely associated with Xuanzang’s translation of Buddhist scriptures brought from India. Its present seven-storey brick form reflects rebuilding and repairs after…
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Shaanxi History Museum · 陕西历史博物馆Shaanxi History Museum陕西历史博物馆
Shaanxi History Museum follows the region’s long role as a centre of Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang civilisation. The main Xiaozhai venue combines bronze ritual vessels, pottery figures and Tang-period objects in a building whose…
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Grand Tang Dynasty Ever Bright City · 大唐不夜城Tang Everbright City大唐不夜城
Tang Everbright City is a modern pedestrian district extending south from the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Its Tang-inspired streetscape combines shops and cultural venues with a long outdoor sculpture sequence. Kaiyuan Square is…
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Dayan Pagoda Northern Square · 大雁塔北广场Giant Wild Goose Pagoda North Square大雁塔北广场
The North Square frames the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda from outside the temple walls. A central water axis rises in terraces towards the tower, with garden areas and cultural walkways on either side. Its design uses the change in…
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Tang Paradise · 大唐芙蓉园. Photo: 2008-09-12.Tang Paradise大唐芙蓉园
Tang Paradise is a modern interpretation of Tang court culture, opened in 2005 beside the historic Qujiang area. Furong Lake organizes a landscape of large halls, gardens and theatrical architecture. Ziyun Tower provides its…
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Qinglong Temple · 青龙寺. Photo: 2019-04-07 16:33:03.Qinglong Temple青龙寺
Qinglong Temple connects Xi’an with the Japanese monk Kūkai, who studied under the Tang Buddhist master Huiguo before founding Japan’s Shingon school. The old monastery was destroyed centuries ago; the temple and garden seen…
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Aerial view of Qujiang Pool Heritage Park · 曲江池遗址公园 Photograph date recorded by the source: 26 January 2021, 16:03:36.Qujiang Pool Heritage Park曲江池遗址公园
Qujiang Pool Heritage Park reintroduces water and landscaped shores to an area associated with Tang leisure and literary gatherings. The present park opened in 2008 and was designed around upper and lower lake sections. It is a…
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Daxingshan Temple · 大兴善寺. Photo: 2008-03-17.Daxingshan Temple大兴善寺
Daxingshan Temple is an important site in the history of Buddhist translation and Esoteric Buddhism, surrounded today by the Xiaozhai shopping district. Its courtyards contain much later halls as well as the remains of a Tang…
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Xi’an Botanical Garden · 西安植物园新园Xi’an Botanical Garden西安植物园新园
Xi’an Botanical Garden’s newer Qujiang site organizes living collections into gardens with a strong regional identity. The Qinling Garden and Huashan Rock Garden relate planting to nearby mountain landscapes, while the Silk Road…
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Shaanxi Natural History Museum in Xi’an · 陕西自然博物馆 Photograph date recorded by the source: 13 November 2025, 13:41:23.Shaanxi Natural History Museum陕西自然博物馆
Shaanxi Natural History Museum groups natural-history and science displays around the television tower on Chang’an South Road. Its buildings are easy to distinguish: a crescent-shaped nature hall and a spherical science…
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Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Da Ci'en Temple (大雁塔与大慈恩寺), Yanta District. Photograph: "Daci".Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Da Ci'en Temple大雁塔与大慈恩寺
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔), also called the Ci'en Temple Pagoda, stands inside the Daci'en Temple in the Yanta District of Xi'an, Shaanxi. Xuanzang directed its building in the third year of the Yonghui reign (652) to hold the scriptures and Buddha images he had brought back to Chang'an from Tianzhu along the Silk Road.
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Yanta District is about 6 km in a straight line from central Xi’an. Search for 雁塔区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and Shaanxi History Museum are less than 1 km apart. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Xi’an →More in Xi’an
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Photo: Giant Wild Goose Pagoda · Alex Kwok · CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.
Photo: Shaanxi History Museum · Wang Zhongyin · CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.
Photo: Tang Everbright City · Liuxingy · CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.
Photo: Giant Wild Goose Pagoda North Square · No machine-readable author provided. Pubuhan assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.
Photo: Tang Paradise · Charlie fong 冯成 · Public domain. Converted to WebP and resized without changing the subject or cropping the source frame.
Photo: Qinglong Temple · Liuxingy · CC BY-SA 4.0. Converted to WebP and resized without changing the subject or cropping the source frame.
Photo: Qujiang Pool Heritage Park · Ghrkya · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Daxingshan Temple · 时雨 · CC BY-SA 3.0. Converted to WebP and resized without changing the subject or cropping the source frame.
Photo: Xi’an Botanical Garden · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Photo: Shaanxi Natural History Museum · H2v5o68z · CC0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Da Ci'en Temple · xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0. Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.